


our past regrets turn this tragedy into a work of art

by fallingforboys



Series: and the blood of the past turns the white roses red [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Brett Talbot & Lori Talbot Live, Corey and Brett are Theo's best friends, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, McCall Pack, Nightmares, Puppy Pack (Teen Wolf), Puppy Pack gets Theo, the McCall Pack doesn't
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:48:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28679886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingforboys/pseuds/fallingforboys
Summary: The McCall pack learns something when an attack leaves Theo wounded.
Relationships: Alec/Lori Talbot, Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Ethan/Jackson Whittemore, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Nolan/Brett Talbot, Scott McCall/Malia Tate
Series: and the blood of the past turns the white roses red [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097741
Comments: 17
Kudos: 138





	our past regrets turn this tragedy into a work of art

Scott wished he could say things got better after the talk with Theo. 

Well, they did a little. The chimera stopped tensing every time someone from the older pack came too close to him, and he was a _little_ more comfortable in pack meetings. 

But the alpha could tell he still wasn’t the same with them as he was with the Puppy Pack. 

And Scott didn’t know if he ever would be.

Jackson and Ethan seemed to bring Theo out of his shell more than Scott thought they would- apparently their “I tried to kill Scott” club actually helped them bond. 

But Theo, if given the choice, _always_ stayed with the younger members of the pack. At the moment, he stood in between Liam and Lori, the latter poking his cheek, just like a younger sibling would. The chimera looked annoyed, but Scott caught the slight tilt of his mouth and the glint of amusement in his eyes. 

“He’s getting better,” the alpha turned to the side to see Stiles looking at the chimera. “Whatever you said to him a few days ago worked. I tried talking to him yesterday about Iron Man and he didn’t run. He actually said something about Tony that kinda surprised me cause I mean, Tony is total-”

“Stiles.”

“Right. The _point is_ , everyone can see that he’s changed. He looks like he _belongs_ here, like he’s _home_. More than he ever did before. And I don’t know if he’ll ever feel that way completely, but look at him.” 

Scott shifted his eyes back to Theo. Liam was attached to his side, his arms around him. And the chimera was looking down at the werewolf, a fond look on his face. Liam reached up to place a quick kiss on Theo’s lips, and Scott smiled. 

“Yeah, he looks _happy_.”

__________________________________

Theo was currently standing, bored out of his mind, in the corner of the McCall living room. Scott was going over something, but the pack meeting had been going on for thirty minutes already, and Theo was _done_. 

He was just about to interrupt the alpha and say he was leaving when he froze. 

And maybe it was the _years_ of training how to pick up the slightest shift in the air. The days, weeks, and months he spent honing every single one of his senses, because if he didn’t, he was as good as dead. So Theo sensed it before anyone else did.

His body moved before his brain could catch up, and before he knew it, he was standing in front of Scott, who had been _right_ in front of the window. 

Gunshots rang out, and Theo _felt_ more than saw the bullets hit him. He let out a quiet groan as he watched the rest of the pack drop down to avoid being hit. 

“Theo,” Liam’s voice rang out in the stunned silence, hysterical and panicked. There were no bullets coming through anymore, so Theo assumed the hunters had run after the quick attack.

The chimera looked down and saw at least four bullet wounds on his body, but he knew there were more. They were laced with wolfsbane, _of course they were_ , and Theo felt the poison making its way through his bloodstream. He dropped to his knees, too weak to stand, and fell back, right into Scott’s arms. 

Liam rushed over to the fallen chimera, followed closely by the rest of the pack. “Hey, hey, you’re okay, Theo, you’re okay, keep your eyes open,” the werewolf’s scent was brimming with fear and anxiety, and Theo weakly smiled when he felt him take his pain.

“M’fine. Just a little,” Theo faltered and felt his breath hitch with a burst of pain, “ _ti_ _red_.”

“Why would you _do_ that Theo?” The chimera’s eyes snapped up to Scott, who was still supporting all of Theo’s weight and taking as much pain as he could with Liam. 

“I, I felt it. And-” Theo turned to the side and coughed up black liquid. He vaguely heard someone (Stiles?) say that they needed to get to the hospital, but he was rapidly losing consciousness, and he wanted Scott to know why he did it before he died. “You deserve to live more than I do. And it’s kinda-” Theo choked and twisted to avoid hitting anyone with his cough, “It’s kinda poetic, isn’t it? I killed you last year, and now I-”

Theo broke off, the pain getting so intense he felt seconds away from passing out. Brett and Derek reached out to grab him, probably to take him to the hospital, but Theo waved them off. It was too late anyway. “I never thanked you for telling me I’m pack. For forgiving me. And I’m sorry. For everything I did.”

Scott opened his mouth but Theo shifted his glance to Liam, and tried to smile, but he was sure it looked more like a grimace. “M’sorry for the prank I did. I’m sorry that I waited so long to make us happen,” he murmured, his voice getting weaker by the word, “Just, just promise me something, Liam.”

Tears were running down the werewolf’s cheeks, but he sniffled and grabbed Theo’s hand.

“Promise me you’ll find someone and be _happy_. You _deserve_ it.”

“No, Theo, you’re not dying on me. No!” Liam cried out, but Theo’s eyelids were getting heavier, and he couldn’t feel his arms anymore, so he gave in and as muffled voices far away were screaming, everything faded to black. 

__________________________________

Liam was going to _kill_ Theo when he woke up. (The _when_ was more of an _if_ , but Liam didn’t have the strength to think about that). 

Of course he had to go put himself in front of the bullets, like the stupid, sacrificial _dumbass_ that he was. Hearing Theo say that Scott deserved to live more than he did _broke_ his heart, and then hearing him make Liam promise to be _happy_ even if he died completely _shattered_ it. 

How was he supposed to be _happy_ when the person he _loved_ was struggling to breathe, his heartbeat so weak, Melissa was afraid they had lost him for a terrifying minute?

Liam was pacing in front of the hospital room that Theo was in, listening to the chimera’s heartbeat. The rest of the pack were there too, casting a somber mood in the hallway. 

“Liam,” Mason had walked up the beta and placed a hand on his arm to stop his pacing, “Just sit down for a little bit. You can’t help him by pacing.”

He growled. “ _No_.” Mason held his hands up in surrender at the beta’s glare and moved back to his seat next to Corey. Scott was looking at Liam sympathetically, and Liam growled again.

“What?”

“You look like you’re about to pass out, just sit down,” the alpha stated, and grabbed Liam and forced him into a seat and knelt in front of him. “Theo’s _not_ dead. And he’s not _going_ to be.”

Liam finally broke down at the alpha’s words. Scott wrapped his arms around him, letting the beta cry out his emotions. 

__________________________________

Liam ended up crying himself to sleep, and Scott gently placed his head on Mason’s shoulder before standing and walking back to where the older members of the pack were. 

“Is Liam okay?” Stiles questioned. 

Scott sighed. “No. Until Theo wakes up, I don’t think he will be.” He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated at the events of the afternoon. “I just- _Why’d_ he do it?”

“Because he still didn’t make it up to you in his eyes,” Lydia answered, her voice solemn, “You heard what he said. That you deserve to live more than he does. That it was _poetic_ , because he would die _saving_ you when last year, he _killed_ you.” 

“He didn’t need to _sacrifice_ himself to prove that he’s changed,” Scott hissed, anger rising. “ _I’m_ the alpha, I’m supposed to protect _him,_ not the other way around.”

“He does it for everyone, not just you.” Corey’s soft voice pierced the air, and the older pack members turned towards the chimera, who they hadn’t realized was listening. Turned out _all_ of the Puppy Pack was listening (with the exception of Liam, who was still dozing on Mason). “He brings your mom dinner on her night shifts.” 

Scott’s jaw dropped slightly in surprise, and one look at the rest of his friends confirmed that they were just as clueless.

  
Corey continued, his voice rising in volume. “He goes with Argent on his patrols, and even got hurt one time because he jumped in front of an arrow that was aimed at Argent. Liam was _so_ mad that day,” he said, shaking his head in amused reminiscence, “He drives all of us to school everyday and picks us up after. In all of the small supernatural problems we’ve had since you guys left, he’s always put himself in danger _first_. Liam’s the acting alpha, but _Theo’s_ the one who stands in front. One of the lacrosse players beat up Nolan one time because he thought he didn’t deserve to be co-captain and Theo punched him so hard, he passed out.”

The older pack was completely frozen, dumbfounded by Corey’s words. 

“Theo’s been protecting us since the day you guys left, even before that for Liam, and you think you’re the _exception_?” Corey asks Scott incredulously, but his tone made it clear that he thought the alpha was missing something important. Scott had never seen the chimera so worked up- he usually stayed quiet on the sidelines next to Liam and Mason- but clearly Theo brought _something_ out of him. 

“He’s not going to change, he’s not going to _stop_ putting himself in danger to make sure everyone else is safe, he’s not going to _stop_ protecting us, protecting _you_ ,” Corey breathed out angrily, and Scott wasn’t entirely sure that it was directed at him anymore, but rather at the other chimera. “Theo’s been to _hell_. Had to feel his heart _ripped_ out of him over and over and _over_. Protecting the people he cares about is the only way he feels can make up for what he did. You want him to feel like he belongs?”

The chimera looked right into Scott’s eyes, evidently having heard the alpha’s previous conversations about Theo. “ _Show him._ Don’t tell him, because he doesn’t believe in words. Everything he did when he was trying to break up the pack was through his words, and if he could cause the downfall of the _true alpha_ through _words_ and _lies_ , how do you expect him to believe you when you just _tell him_?”

Corey’s voice was bordering on hysterical, and Mason placed a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder, silently telling him to calm down, but Corey continued. “Theo’s been told his entire life that emotion is _weakness_ , that _showing_ someone you care about them will _kill_ you,” the chimera’s voice had suddenly become quiet, but the whole pack was intently listening. “If you don’t _show_ him that you care about him, he’s never going to know. And he will _never_ feel like he belongs. It took us _weeks_ to get Theo to open up, to make him believe that he has a rightful place in our pack, even _after_ he started protecting us. But we got there eventually, because for every _single_ thing Theo did to protect us, we did something for _him_.”

Corey sighed, looking over to where Liam was still sleeping. “The day Liam found out Theo was homeless, Theo had already been driving us around for _two_ weeks. But he never said anything about it. Liam forced him to stay at his house, and that was just the beginning. The day after Theo punched that lacrosse player, Nolan brought him a box of cookies that he baked himself, and it was so _simple_ , but Theo was _so_ surprised because he _never_ got home-baked things in his _entire_ life. And Theo’s basically our free biology tutor- he _always_ helps us study because he’s a _genius_ \- but he _never_ expects anything in return,” the chimera’s fury had all drained out, and he just looked sad now, “And when Liam asked him what he wanted as compensation for his help, he just said he didn’t want anything and walked away. Because that’s just _who he is_. He doesn’t expect anything from anyone because he doesn’t think he deserves it. And until you _show_ him that he does, you’re gonna be stuck here- watching him sacrifice himself _over_ and _over_ again for someone he thinks still hasn’t forgiven him completely.”

Scott stood, shocked at the chimera’s long rant. He had thought that Derek and Lydia’s explanations for Theo had been sufficient, had been enough to guide him to do what he wanted, but Corey had completely blown them out of the water. The usually subdued chimera understood Theo in a way that the older pack never had, and it was clear why Theo was so close to the Puppy Pack.

The alpha turned to his friends, and every single one of them looked taken aback. Even Derek, who Scott had thought understood Theo _so well_ , seemed caught off guard by Corey’s revelations. 

Brett, who had been unusually quiet so far, broke the silence. “If you think that Theo’s going to just _take_ your word for it when you say he’s pack, you’re a fucking _idiot_.”

“Bret-” Mason said, appalled at the werewolf’s harsh words, but Brett kept talking.

“No, I’m _done_ being nice, because you weren’t there,” Brett looked at the older pack, “You weren’t there, you _don’t know_ what it’s like to watch Theo suffer _every single night_. We don’t even go home most nights, we just stay at Liam’s, cause we’re _scared_ that if Theo wakes up alone after his nightmares, he’d _leave_. One night it got so bad that he started screaming, and he _wouldn’t wake up_. All of us tried, but he was _stuck_. Stuck in that _fucking_ place, with no way out.”

Brett exhaled sharply, his throat sore from screaming. “He messed up, and he knows that. Hell made _sure_ he knew that. But he doesn’t deserve this. He doesn’t _deserve_ waking up _every_ night, not knowing if he’s back there, back in that _prison_. He doesn’t _deserve_ fighting for a pack that can’t even show him that he’s part of it.”

“You can plan all the pack outings and road trips you want, say you want to _bond_ as a pack, but it’s never gonna work. Not with Theo,” Brett finished, exhausted. 

“You guys are all pretty protective of Theo, huh?” Stiles said, trying to add some levity to cut the tension. 

“Well,” Brett’s voice was _bitter_ , “someone has to be. Not like _you_ are.”

“ _Hey_ , that’s not fai-”

Scott interrupted his best friend. “Brett, we didn’t know,” he said placatingly.

“Yeah, you didn’t know. You _never_ know. You didn’t _know_ that Theo was homeless. You didn’t _know_ that he slept in his truck. You didn’t _know_ that he was struggling to even _eat_ , because he didn’t have the money. You just didn’t know _anythin_ -”

Brett was cut off by the door to Theo’s room opening. Melissa walked out, looking tired, her hands covered in blood. _Theo’s_ blood. 

“He’s stable, he’s not going to die.” Everyone let out a breath they hadn’t noticed they were holding. Liam, who had woken up when Brett started yelling, fell back into his seat in relief. “You guys can go in, but only four people at-” The entire Puppy Pack jumped up and rushed in, and Melissa sighed. “... a time.”

Scott and the rest of the older pack slumped into the now empty chairs, taken aback by the hostility in Brett’s voice. Corey had attempted to explain Theo without letting his feelings get in the way, but Brett hadn’t held back. He was _furious_ at the older members, and he didn’t care if he hurt their feelings. And it worked, because Scott felt like _shit_. He hadn’t known Theo was homeless and that he barely ate before he moved in with Liam, but somehow still brought his mom dinner for her late shifts. He hadn’t known _anything_ that Brett and Corey had mentioned. 

“I don’t think we’ll ever get Theo like they do,” Stiles mumbled, clearly just as affected by Brett and Corey as the alpha. 

“Maybe not, but we can _try_ ,” Lydia emphasized, “Corey’s right. We’ve been trying to _tell_ him that he’s pack, but Theo’s not like that. He’s not going to believe us just like that. We have to _show_ him.”

“You fucking _asshole_ ,” Liam’s voice reached the older pack, and Scott assumed Theo had finally woken up. He made his way to the door, and was about to step in when he stopped at the sight in the room.

Liam was draped over the chimera, his arms squeezing him, and Scott could tell he was trembling. Mason, Corey, and Nolan were right beside them, their arms surrounding the werewolf’s. Lori and Alec were sitting on the bed near Theo’s feet, but they had reached forward and had their arms around the chimera’s waist. 

Theo’s head poked out from under the pack hug and turned to Brett, who was behind Nolan, but hadn’t joined in. Brett wasn’t an emotional person, but Scott saw the tears in his eyes that he was trying to hold back. 

“If you do that again, Theo,” Brett croaked, “I _swear to God_ , I’m gonna kill you.”

The others had moved back a little from the chimera, but were still surrounding the bed. 

Theo’s mouth quirked in a small smirk. “I’m an atheist.”

And just like that, the Puppy Pack broke into a chorus of wet laughter, their eyes still shining with tears. 

Scott closed the door quietly and stepped back into the hallway. Because after everything he heard today, the alpha knew Theo deserved to be surrounded by people he cared about and people that have _shown_ that they cared about him too. 

__________________________________

Theo had to stay the night in the hospital, but the rest of the Puppy Pack decided to all take residence in the small room, and were now laying in various positions that Melissa knew would leave them aching tomorrow. She hadn’t even tried to convince them not to, she knew it would be a battle that she would lose.

Liam was sleeping on the bed next to Theo, his arms around his waist and his face pushed into his neck. The chimera’s arms were around the werewolf, and he looked peaceful as he breathed in and out steadily. Melissa smiled at the sight, and closed the door.

The next day, Melissa came in the room to find all of the younger members of the pack sleeping with the exception of Theo, who was staring at the other pack members with a look on his face that the nurse couldn’t quite place. 

“You doing okay?” she asked quietly as she walked over to him, trying not to wake the sleeping teenagers. Theo’s eyes snapped to her in the doorway.

“Yeah, just thinking,” the chimera replied, his voice hoarse from disuse. 

“About what?” Melissa probed gently. Scott had told her about everything that happened yesterday when she was operating on Theo, hoping his mom would be able to help him. She was just as surprised as he was to hear that the chimera had been the one to bring him dinner- she had just assumed it was Alec or one of the other nurses. And her heart had broken when Scott relayed what Corey and Brett had revealed about Theo and his nightmares. No one deserves that, and though Theo had made some _horrible_ mistakes in the past, Melissa could see that he wasn’t that person anymore. 

“Them,” Theo stated bluntly, gesturing to the other figures in the room. “They stayed, and I don’t know why.”

“Because they _care_ about you,” Melissa’s heart sank at the hesitant look on Theo’s face, “They’re your _friends_ , and they care when you get hurt. And you _deserve_ that, okay? Don’t _ever_ think that you don’t.”

Theo’s mouth was slightly open in surprise. The nurse ran a hand through his hair, and felt him lean into the touch. 

“You’ve been alone for so long, and I _know_ that. But honey, you don’t _have_ to be alone anymore. You have all these people who care about you, who love you. Don’t push them away, okay?”

The chimera nodded slightly, and Melissa knew that he still didn’t believe her completely, but the Puppy Pack _being_ there had _shown_ him that what she was saying was true. 

And Melissa knew that someday, Theo would grow to believe it. 

__________________________________

Two days later, Theo was _finally_ allowed to leave the hospital. And he was _ecstatic_ , because he _detested_ hospitals. 

Liam and the rest of the Puppy Pack had left an hour ago, saying they had something they had to do at home before Theo got there. _Home. Never thought he’d have one of those_. 

Melissa refused to let him leave by himself, saying he was in no condition to be driving alone, and had called Scott. Theo had been hoping to avoid the alpha until him and the rest of the older pack had to leave to go back to their various colleges and jobs, but the nurse was stubborn. 

“You are _not_ driving by yourself, Theo.” Melissa said, glaring at the chimera.

“Now I know where Scott gets it from,” Theo mumbled, but the nurse heard him and grinned.

Ten minutes later, Theo was sitting in the passenger seat of Stiles’ (or is it Scott’s now?) jeep while Scott was driving to the Dunbar-Geyer house. 

“How are you feeling?” the alpha asked hesitantly, as if he was scared he was saying something wrong. 

“Fine, I guess. I just want to go home.” It felt weird saying the word out loud, but it left a warm feeling in his chest. 

“Theo, I just, just wanted to thank you. For protecting me.”

“S’not a big deal. I would’ve done it for anyone.” Theo was growing uncomfortable under the alpha’s pointed look. 

“I know. And that’s just _another_ thing that shows how much you’ve changed since last year. And all this time, I’ve been trying to tell you that you’re pack, and I thought that was enough, but Corey and Brett kinda yelled at me, and it helped me realize that I was wrong,” Scott blurted out. 

Theo was confused. “Brett and Corey yelled at you?” He gave the alpha a quizzical look. “Because of _me_?”

Scott let out a bark of laughter. “ _Yeah_ , they did. And I don’t blame them, I’ve done a lot of things wrong when it comes to you, and I needed someone to tell me that.” Scott pulled into Liam’s driveway, turned the jeep off, and sighed. “I’m sorry, Theo.”

Theo was even _more_ confused. “Why are _you_ sorry? You didn’t do anything.”

“That’s exactly why I am. After the war with the hunters, I didn’t even _think_ about you, and your situation. I-” the alpha cut himself off, “Brett mentioned something yesterday, and I’m just, I’m _sorry_. For sending you to hell. No matter what you did, you didn't deserve that. Peter’s done worse, _Deucalion’s_ done worse, and we forgave them. But we messed up with you, and we’re sorry. _All_ of us.”

Theo didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t _that_. “You don’t need to apologize. The kind of person I was back then, the things I did, I deserved hell for it. You don’t need to be sorry for that.”

“Beacon Hills is your _home_. You deserve to live, you deserve _us_. I know you still won’t believe me until I _show_ you, but you’re _pack_ , Theo,” Scott said firmly, and the chimera was taken aback at the resolve in the alpha’s voice. 

“Okay,” Theo said slowly, “Okay.”

Before the alpha could say anything else, the door opened suddenly, and Liam’s scent filled the air. 

“Why are you guys just sitting there? Theo, come on, it’s _your_ party.” Liam said, grabbing the older boy’s hand and dragging him into the house. 

The sight that greeted Theo left him dumbfounded. The _whole_ pack was there, even the older members. Nolan and Alec were holding up posters saying “Welcome home, Theo” and the chimera was speechless as he swiveled his head, taking in everything. 

“You did all this for _me_?” he questioned, his heart beating so fast he thought it would beat out of his chest.

“Obviously, you idiot,” Lori scoffed, “Now, c’mon, we ordered cake, and Liam banned us from eating it until you came.”

Theo followed the girl into the kitchen, and stopped at the sheer amount of food that was spread across the counters and table. Mrs. Geyer was placing plates on the table, and looked up when Theo entered. 

“Oh, honey,” she exclaimed, hugging him tightly, “I’m so glad you’re okay. Now come and eat, I know what the hospital food is like.” And Theo could do nothing but watch as she piled up food and put the plate in his hands. Theo’s never been mothered- the Dread Doctors weren’t exactly the type- and it felt nice to be treated like a kid for once even though he wasn’t. 

Theo felt Liam at his back, his arms wrapping around the chimera’s waist. And though Theo was taller (Liam would disagree, of course), the werewolf placed his head on his shoulder, and Theo lent back into the comforting touch. 

Liam grinned into his neck. “I don’t think we’ve been alone a single time since we got together. Can’t wait till everyone leaves.”

Theo flushed at the words, and Liam’s teasing tone. The younger boy laughed lightly at the chimera’s red face. 

Theo looked around him. Corey and Mason were on the couch, practically sitting on each other, laughing with Nolan. Alec and Brett were wrestling each other, while Lori stood next to them, rolling her eyes at their idiocracy. Lydia, Scott, and Malia were all quietly talking, but the alpha would look up once in a while and glance around, like he was checking in with the pack. And Stiles and Derek had apparently gotten their act together, because they were holding hands while chatting with Ethan and Jackson. 

And for the first time in months, probably _years_ , Theo felt truly _happy_.

Because he finally found his family. 

__________________________________

_the shades of gray we once painted with fade into the fleeing dark_

_as our past regrets turn this tragedy into a work of art_


End file.
